The Apple thread

[teamonkey]

Yeah it does that. Kind of frustrating, but then again who really looks at BSODs on PCs?

Apart from a Win98-based train information screen, I've not seen a Windows box BSOD for about 3 years.

[piku]

Yeah it does that. Kind of frustrating, but then again who really looks at BSODs on PCs?

Apart from a Win98-based train information screen, I've not seen a Windows box BSOD for about 3 years.

Expose PCs to children, that makes them happen. Mostly due to PC hardware failing, causing Windows to go "ergh! CPU fan... we need the CPU fan! make it come back on please!".

Or install badly written drivers for USB devices then unplug the USB device. Whoopsie!

[Dio]

Mostly due to PC hardware failing, causing Windows to go "ergh! CPU fan... we need the CPU fan! make it come back on please!".

I've seen several reports that a substantial percentage of Microsoft's automatic bug reports appear to be caused by the impossible - like writing a register out to memory, reading it back immediately and the value being different. Overclocking is the usual cause...

[piku]

Mostly due to PC hardware failing, causing Windows to go "ergh! CPU fan... we need the CPU fan! make it come back on please!".

I've seen several reports that a substantial percentage of Microsoft's automatic bug reports appear to be caused by the impossible - like writing a register out to memory, reading it back immediately and the value being different. Overclocking is the usual cause...

The PC at school break in one of two ways:

1. Hardware failure. This can be anything from a fan failing, or a monitor having a fist-shaped crack in the centre of it. Mostly it's missing keys on the keyboards.
2. Software failure. Usually something tedious like MSIE trying to browse a page that makes it crash, or a kid pressing every button on the screen while simultaneously hitting the sticky-keys activation sequence and rotating the screen upside down. Sometimes it's a corrupt disk image caused by a sudden loss of power.

Schools are a unique and slightly hostile environment for PCs. Either the students are trying to destroy the hardware, or the staff are trying to force the machines to do things quicker than they are capable, getting frustrated and trying to turn them off again - while logging in multiple times. School registers are electronic, being done on PCs through web browsers. If it takes three minutes for a PC to become operational just so you can shout out 25 kids names and press 'P', something's gone wrong... it takes about 25 seconds to do a register on paper.

[PinkFearie]

i just broke it again!
fuck

[Kemper_Boyd]

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/04/23 ... s_pa_semi/

[owen]

did Steve Jobs just spend $200 million to annoy intel?

[VNVObit]

did Steve Jobs just spend $200 million to annoy intel?

that is probably just a side effect of his real goal

faster iPhone/iPod or new newtons anyone?

[Kemper_Boyd]

He bought what is probably the best microprocessor team outside of Intel,
AMD or IBM. With a track record in power efficient microprocessors. I think
that Apple may develop ARM processors for iPods/iPhones in house.

I don't think Apple will be switching back to PowerPC.

[Firefox]

Perhaps not for their desktops/laptops, now that people have got used to dual booting Windows on them.

PA Semi are known for their Power(PC) chips though. It'd be a bit strange to buy them and then get them trying to design more efficient ARMs than ARM - especially since they'd have to pay ARM license fees on top.

[corrosive]

It's even funnier when you remember all the rumours about Apple working with P.A.Semi just prior to the switch to Intel

Edit : D'oh, that'll teach me not to bother reading the Register article

[pogo]

I don't think Apple will be switching back to PowerPC.

Confirmed here, which puts another spin on it: DoD may push back on Apple's P.A. Semi bid:

http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showAr ... =207401605

[seanyseansean]

Yeah it does that. Kind of frustrating, but then again who really looks at BSODs on PCs?

Apart from a Win98-based train information screen, I've not seen a Windows box BSOD for about 3 years.

You kid, surely?

I've seen the BSOD in cash machines, an advertising screen in Morrisons, 2 airports (Frankfurt & Porto), various estate agency window display, a gig at Glastonbury, a self service till at Co-Op, and even at the price swipe thingies in Ikea (though that was actually a GPF...)

That's in the last year, i'm sure i've seen more. It's also not including the number of public signage systems using Windows that don't remove explorer - and therefore have popups complaining about low disk space, Windows Updates available, javascript errors etc etc.

[offtopic]
In my last job I made digital signage systems for office foyers, estate agents windows, and suchlike. It's amazing the number of competing units that use Windows, which is wholly inappropriate for this. A Linux box, stripped down to the basics, with only ssh/cert and https access is perfect. If the Intel network card goes down, the netdev watchdog restarts it - no BSOD, like what happens in Windows. If X dies - it restarts, again no BSOD. When I get time I may write some of my own software for this market, as pretty much all of it is completely wank.

[skip]

I am sick to death of the spinning beachball in Safari....grrr. Fucking fix it Apple. That is all.

[WiteWulf]

New iMacs next week, then?